Of Wolves and Witchery

[Telcontar]

"We must call even greater efforts from those we have brought with us. Word has spread of the danger, let us go about them and tell them we have succeeded in driving the dwemor from the hall, but now we must stand to the wall while they recover themselves."


Hathcyn spoke before the men at the anvil, rousing their spirits, and calling on them to spread the word of their success. He also ordered a measure of warm wine to be served out to all and knowing the manner of his lord directed that honey cakes be found and shared.

"We have done great deeds today and I ask each to strive further still while the warband of the Wolfslayer recovers."

Inspire

Rolled 1d12 : 10, total 10

Rolled 3d6 : 6, 2, 6, total 14

[Telcontar]

 

It wasnt Henry Vth but the roll thinks it was.

[Eclecticon]

Hathcyn's words are met with tired eyes and solemn stares, but also with nods of understanding and hands already moving to raise spears and lace helms, and not for naught will it be said in later days that he was the finest man who ever stood at the side of Grimbeorn the Old. 

Marvelling perhaps at the fortitude of Men, Luindîs meets Gwaithlim's eyes.  "I wondered at first why one of the high-born saw fit to journey in these lands, but no longer.  Such a fortunate tale-singer I am, to find such heroes all about me!" 


Tom, all Hathcyn's Personality APs are already filled, so please accept this small piece of character-puffery in lieu. 

And for everyone, I'm not gonna lie: there's a fight scene coming up.  But also, I'm getting ready for our annual mid-winter camping holiday and I'll be waaaaay AFK next week.  Do you want to get things going now, on the understanding that there'll be a break in the action, or would you prefer to wait until I'm back?

[Telcontar]

  i say we wait. I'm headed out tomorrow for 14 days back to the States. I find the fights flow better when we can post frequently.

[GandalfOfBorg]

  Agreed, I will be on my own holiday next week and the following for the 4th.

[Eclecticon]

Okay, cool.  I'll set the scene and then we can kick it off at the start of July.

[Eclecticon]

Stern-faced, the Fellowship's men spread out to watch points all about the outer wall: a pair on the roof of the stables, others by the doors to the main hall, still more by the forge and the other outbuildings.  Esgalwen raids the wood-pile to build bonfires before and behind the hall, and as the moon rises behind the evening cloud they are lit, bathing most of the bailey in warm light. 

Low have the fires burned, though, when the wolf-voices sound again, high and weird and keening.  All about the steading, Men and Elves tighten their grip on their weapons and watch for any sign of a push on the gates.  The cry goes up elsewhere, however, as a pair of sliver-white wolves leap the palisade, landing prayer-soft on the roof of an old granary.  Before the watchmen may gather together they leap, hackles raised and jaws snarling, for their first kill. 


And the scene is set!  I'll kick off the fight when I'm back.

[Eclecticon]

I've had one further thought about the coming scene while I was away, this being that the fight will begin when your forces are dispersed all around the walled area of the steading.  As I imagine it, the Fellowship is probably spread out a bit as well, since you don't know exactly where an attack might arrive. 

What I'd like you each to do is:
1) tell me where your character has been waiting, and
2) give me a Battle roll to represent how well they've thought through where else the first strike might fall, how they might get around the steading to where they're needed, and how well they've been keeping themselves alert in the long, dull hours of waiting.  This will affect how quickly they can respond to the appearance of the wolves.

Luindîs, for example, is keeping herself near the main gate, that being the most obvious place for the Enemy to strike.  Her Battle roll is a total hail-Mary, but you never know:

1d12 : 3, total 3

[Telcontar]

I see Hathcyn acting as a flying column to support a danger area. So he would be towards the middle where he can get good idea of how bad things are all around.

Rolled 1d12 : 10, total 10

Rolled 3d6 : 3, 6, 6, total 15

[Telcontar]

  this appears to be the hour of the Foresthelm.

[tomcat]

Using the picture from the previous page, and assuming the terrain is like that shown, along with the heights of the walls, Esgalwen would look seriously at those high mounds on the eastern side of the pic. A warg could probably make a Great Leap from there and into the palisade (just my GM mind thinking how I would do it).

I will roll her battle roll - if it is successful, she takes a position atop one of the buildings there that would have a strong enough roof, and use her bow. If the buildings would not accommodate her weight and that of any other archers that could join her, then maybe along top of the wall (maybe there is a shelf or a berm to allow for wall-defense?) If that is not the case, she will position herself and a group of available archers where they would have clear shot at the gates (if they are compromised) or towards the area where the wolves (with potential riders) might be able to clear the wall with a leap.

TN 14 battle 2d

1d12 : 4, total 4
Rolled 2d6 : 5, 6, total 11

[tomcat]

the circles show where she thinks the threat could possibly come, where she would set her archers if they would be able to support, or the center.

[Eclecticon]

Doug, you have pretty much placed Esgalwen exactly where the wolves will land - my thinking about mounds and roofs was the same as yours.  The roof she's standing on will be thatch over a wooden frame, strong enough to bear her weight, and those of one or two other archers, but she'll have to move carefully.  The wall, sadly, has no fighting platform - it's a simple thing designed to make raiding harder, not to withstand a seige. 

In any case, Esgalwen will be present right from the word go as the wolves land on the same building.  Hathcyn, thanks to his tactical brilliance (and being Swift) will be able to appear the same round, though he'll be on the ground.  His long spear will ameliorate some of the difficulty of reaching targets, but I'm thinking he'll still suffer a -2 penalty to hit anything on the roof. 

Luindîs, having blown her roll completely, will take three rounds to rouse herself, work out what's happening and join in. 

We're just waiting on Matt, and then I'll post some combat stats.  I'll also do the preliminary Battle rolls, seeing as how we've given them a bit more mechanical weight lately.

Esgalwen

1d12 : 2, total 2
Rolled 2d6 : 1, 4, total 5

Gwaithlim

1d12 : 10, total 10
Rolled 2d6 : 5, 1, total 6

Hathcyn

1d12 : 11, total 11
Rolled 3d6 : 3, 5, 4, total 12

Luindîs

1d12 : 2, total 2

[Eclecticon]

That's... not a brilliant showing from our intrepid heroes (Gwaithlim being a notable exception).  Still, of such things are great tales made. 

Matt, I've given Gwaithlim his third Vocation AP for a Great Success and being Fierce. 

[Eclecticon]

I'm going to wait overnight (my time) in case Matt gets a post up, then I'll move things along.  I'll hand-puppet Gwaithlim until Matt shows up again.